Latest news with #KonradAdenauerFoundation
Jordan News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan News
PM Discusses Youth Empowerment with Konrad Adenauer Foundation President - Jordan News
PM Discusses Youth Empowerment with Konrad Adenauer Foundation President Prime Minister Jafar Hassan received on Thursday the President of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and former President of the German Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, to review the Foundation's programs and ongoing cooperation in Jordan. اضافة اعلان The meeting focused on the Foundation's initiatives in Jordan, particularly those aimed at supporting and empowering youth and enhancing their participation in political life. Lammert emphasized the Foundation's commitment to continuing its work in Jordan through its local office and expressed interest in expanding its programs to benefit a wider segment of youth and civil society organizations. Petra
Jordan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Prime Minister, Konrad Adenauer Foundation head discuss youth empowerment
Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Thursday meet s with Norbert Lammert, chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and former president of the German Bundestag (Petra photo) AMMAN — Prime Minister Jafar Hassan on Thursday met with Norbert Lammert, chairman of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and former president of the German Bundestag. Discussions during the meeting centred on the foundation's programmes and initiatives in Jordan, particularly those aimed at empowering youth and encouraging their active engagement in political life, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Lammert underscored the foundation's long-standing presence in Jordan and reiterated its commitment to strengthening cooperation with national partners. He also stressed the importance of expanding outreach efforts to better support young people and civil society organisations across the Kingdom.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sahel juntas drive new era in mineral extraction
Niger wants to boost its economy and expand its mining industry by mining copper in the Agadez region. The country granted a permit to national firm Compagnie Miniere de l'Air (Cominair SA). "Niger is continuing its programme of diversifying mining production" with a move that "marks its entry into the restricted circle of countries producing this strategic mineral," according to a statement from Niger's military government, which took power following a July 2023 coup. Ulf Laessing, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's Sahel regional program in neighboring Mali, said the concession is part of Niger's strategy to reduce its reliance on foreign companies for mineral extraction. Laessing said that it was impossible to predict how successful the project will be. "The copper mine is in the north, not far from Libya, where the security situation is very poor," he noted, adding that Niger is following a trend seen in Burkina and Mali, where military governments rely more on local companies, rather than Western ones. The operators of the mine located in Niger's second largest city, Moradi, expect to produce an average of 2,700 tons of copper per year over a period of ten years. Niger's government hopes that the mine will create hundreds of new jobs and a lucrative business. Copper is currently traded on the world market for $9,700 (€8,789) per ton. A small scale permit has meanwhile been granted to Nigerien firm Compagnie Miniere de Recherche et d'Exploitation (Comirex SA) at Dannet to produce lithium, a key component of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power everything from cellphones to electric vehicles. The company expects to produce 300 tons of lithium a year. The Nigerien state holds a 25% stake in the Cominair copper mine and a 40% stake in Comirex in order to maintain the government's control over the nation's resources. For decades, the desert state was also a major producer of uranium, known as the "white gold" of the renewable energy revolution. According to the World Nuclear Association, Niger has two significant uranium mines, where around 5% of the uranium produced worldwide was mined in 2022. Since junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in the military coup , uranium production has come to a standstill. "This is because the border with Benin is closed and uranium can only be exported via Benin," Laessing told DW, noting that only the Beninese port of Cotonou has been licensed to do so, highlighting the difficulties on the ground. "The government wants to do much more itself and no longer work with French companies or other Western companies," he said. However, Laessing noted that this does not guarantee the success of "in-house mining" due to a lack of local experience, technical qualifications and the necessary mining equipment. As long as the border with Benin is closed due to disputes following the coup, said Laessing, "nothing will happen" in uranium production and it is questionable how quickly progress will be made with copper mining. The source of funding for the mining projects is not clear, said Laessing, who suggested that copper mining could be partially financed with revenues from oil production, he told DW. Niger's former colonial ruler, France, has become unpopular in the Sahel and has lost influence. The junta no longer considers itself bound by partnership agreements from the aegis of Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted in the 2023 coup. The military junta recently withdrew French nuclear company Orano's license to mine uranium — after 50 years of operation in Niger. Canadian company GoviEX also no longer has a permit to operate the Madaouela uranium mine. "These are symbolic acts to make us less dependent on Western companies," said Laessing. "The chances of success is difficult to assess." When it comes to raw materials for energy transition, neighboring Mali is also well positioned for the future: In recent months, two new lithium mines have started production, partly in cooperation with China. The new concessions complement the extraction of mineral resources, which are abundant in the Sahel states of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. Niger, for example, has significant deposits of uranium, tin and phosphate, as well as crude oil. Burkina Faso has copper, zinc and manganese. Mali has several previously untapped oil fields. All three countries have large gold deposits. All three countries are also pursuing an anti-Western course and are looking for new allies: Russia wants to profit from uranium mining through its nuclear company Rosatom; the mining company Azelik is majority-owned by China. According to the Africa Defense Forum, Niger's ruling junta and Iran have been "working secretly on a deal" to buy 300 tons of uranium. "Iranian officials approached the Niger junta in August 2023, about one month after the July 2023 coup," according to an October 2024 article in the military magazine. "The visit was the first step toward circumventing international sanctions aimed at preventing Iran from developing a bomb." However, in 2024 Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine insisted that "nothing" had been signed with Iran with regards to uranium. Following coups between 2020 and 2023, all three Sahel countries are under military governments. In an effort to emancipate themselves from their old partners and avoid sanctions, they also withdrew from the West African bloc ECOWAS — and founded their own Alliance of Sahel States. "There has long been a strong desire for diversification in international relations in these countries," said Seidik Abba, head of the Sahel think tank CIRES, based in Paris. Even after the end of the colonial era, economic relations with the West were never on an equal footing, Abba said in an interview with DW. "The conditions were dictated unilaterally by Western countries. For example, they set the prices for the raw materials they bought from African countries. And that was and is perceived as unfair in Africa," said Abba. Burkina Faso is Africa's fourth largest gold producer with an estimated 58 tons per year. "The country has not yet taken the step like Mali, where they want a lot more money, royalties and taxes from Western mining companies in gold production; they still rely on cooperation," said Laessing. "Burkina Faso has understood that it would be difficult to continue producing gold without foreign companies." After producing 66 tons of gold in 2022, Mali is considered the center of gold production in Africa and exerted pressure on the companies exploiting the gold deposits. Mali's military-led government, for example, is demanding 125 billion CFA francs ($199 million) in back taxes from Canadian gold giant Barrick Gold. Officially, the government's discourse is that they are now sovereign and pan-African. In practice, though, Laessing noted that foreign companies still play a major role. Antonio Cascais and Eric Topona contributed to this article. The article was originally written in German.
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Niger's junta leader cements his grip on power as he is sworn in as president
NIAMEY, Niger — Niger's junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, was sworn in Wednesday as the country's president for a transition period of five years under a new charter that replaces the West African nation's constitution. Tchiani, an army veteran, was also elevated to the country's highest military rank of army general and signed a decree dissolving all political parties, cementing his grip on power since June 2023 when he led soldiers in a coup that deposed the country's elected government. The move defied attempts by the regional bloc to quicken the return to democracy after a 2023 coup. The five-year 'flexible' transition period begins on Wednesday, according to Mahamane Roufai, the secretary general of the government. He was speaking at a ceremony in the capital, Niamey, where the new transition charter recommended by a recent national conference was approved. The new president would have been in power for about seven years by the end of the transition period in 2030, following similar patterns of prolonged stints in power in Africa's junta-led countries, including Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso. The transition charter also sets out a referendum as one of the conditions for setting up foreign military bases in Niger. However, it noted that the president may authorize it through a decree in the event of an emergency. Niger currently has a military partnership with Russia, its new ally after kicking out U.S. and French soldiers — both longstanding partners. Niger's junta had initially proposed a three-year transition period right after the coup, but that was rejected by West Africa's regional bloc known as ECOWAS, which called it a provocation and threatened to intervene with the use of force. Since then Niger has left the bloc alongside Mali and Burkina Faso, in protest of harsh sanctions which the bloc announced to force a return to democracy in Niger. Critics say Niger's junta has clamped down on civil rights and struggled to end the jihadi violence that the military said inspired them to take power. Ulf Laessing, the Sahel program director at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation think tank, said the five-year transition would be advantageous to Russia, which was among the first to recognize and work with the new Niger government. 'The prolonged transition would strengthen the Sahel alliance with Mali and Burkina Faso and would ultimately help Russia to expand in the region,' he said. Mamane writes for the Associated Press.
Russia Today
26-03-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Conference of the disoriented: How an Indian event was a window into Western decline
Every spring, New Delhi becomes a global hotspot – at least for a few days. Politicians, analysts, think tankers, and journalists flock to the Indian capital for the Raisina Dialogue, South Asia's premier geopolitical conference. It aspires to be the region's answer to the Munich Security Conference – high-level, influential, and agenda-setting. Over the past decade, Raisina has grown steadily in stature, faithfully reproducing the trappings of a major global event: the same luxury hotel, plenty of panel sessions, and a cast of international VIPs flown in to weigh in on the world's most pressing problems. But, as in Munich, Raisina's inclusivity has clear limits. While the German conference has barred Russians since 2022, the Indians quietly exclude Chinese delegates – a revealing nod to the tensions between BRICS' two largest powers. India is not just a host. It's also the first line of engagement – if not confrontation – between the global North and South. And it plays this double role with confidence. Raisina is India's showcase: a platform to present itself to the West as the intellectual and technological leader of the South, and to the South as a country that can hold its own in global forums. To underline its distinct identity, each Raisina Dialogue is built around a concept drawn from India's civilizational heritage. In 2024, it was Chaturanga, the ancient precursor to chess, symbolizing strategic depth. This year's theme was Kalachakra, the 'wheel of time' – a Buddhist metaphor for interconnectedness and the idea that changing yourself can change the world. Poetic, yes – but quickly overtaken by the less elevated realities of contemporary geopolitics. In truth, the stage was dominated by Western institutions and voices. Raisina is funded by the likes of Meta, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Lockheed Martin, and Palantir. And their priorities – military, commercial, ideological – make clear that most of the guests came to talk about changing the world, not themselves. Read more Orban makes a daring bet as the West weakens Western Europeans, in particular, struck a peculiar note. Emotionally agitated and politically adrift, many of their delegates stuck to familiar talking points: 'Putin's Russia' is the number one threat to Europe's peace and security. Some added 'Trump's unpredictability' to the mix, highlighting fears that the next US administration may walk away from global commitments. The shared solution? A call for 'European strategic autonomy.' But no one could explain how that's possible without cheap Russian energy or Chinese goods – the twin pillars of the EU's post-Cold War prosperity. The Western Europeans wanted to sound brave. But they came off as disoriented. By contrast, the Gulf states were self-assured. Iran is contained, Gaza is winding down, Trump is back in the picture, and the Abraham Accords are quietly returning to the agenda. Confidence radiated from their delegates. The Americans? Not so much. Most came from hawkish, right-leaning think tanks – once champions of liberal interventionism, now adjusting to the new mood in Washington. Their rhetoric was more muted this year. Less preaching, more explaining. Fewer calls for 'democracy,' more realpolitik. It was an awkward adjustment – and many European guests found it unsettling. Some of the most revealing moments weren't in the sessions, but in the sniping between Western delegates. Old disputes between 'globalists' and 'nationalists' resurfaced in side conversations. A reminder that the so-called 'collective West' is far from united. Read more The Americans want Zelensky out – Is this woman their Plan B? Meanwhile, India played its host role with aplomb. It indulged some speakers and quietly ignored others. And it never missed a chance to remind the audience that it is the world's 'oldest democracy' – albeit on its own terms. The broader picture from Raisina is that the world is in flux – 'multipolar and non-polar at once,' as some described it. It's a world where a Yemeni analyst offers insights on US-China tensions; a Luxembourg minister speaks on the Ukraine conflict; and advisers from Romania and Moldova pronounce confidently on the future of the Middle East. Ministers from Latvia and Liechtenstein weighed in on global security. It was the illusion of seriousness – panels of people speaking on matters they barely influence. There was also, as usual, a linguistic and philosophical confusion. Asian delegates were visibly puzzled by the semantic divide between 'rules-based order,' as Westerners call it, and 'international law,' as Moscow prefers. Aren't they the same thing? Not in today's world. It's worth remembering what Raisina is not. It's not a venue for compromise or diplomacy. Russia wasn't represented officially. China wasn't welcome. It's a stage – a place to display power, posture, and polish. But also a mirror, reflecting how different regions interpret the world order's transformation. At Raisina, many talk about turning the 'wheel of time.' Few realize it may roll right over them. Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.' Perhaps that's the most relevant piece of Indian wisdom for this moment. Because many delegates at Raisina came with the illusion that they were steering global change – when in fact, they were simply trying not to get crushed beneath it. This article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team .
